Here in Hawaii there is a growing trend where our Kupuna are choosing to stay in their homes instead of moving into a nursing home or care facility. This option is called aging in place, and those of us in the construction industry have slowly seen it coming, and now in some areas there are companies who only do aging in place construction, which shows how high the demand has become.

Aging in place takes two approaches,

1. We use what is called Universal Design, which basically makes the home accessible for the young, the Elderly, Women who are pregnant, Those injured and rehabilitating from an injury, so whatever your circumstance the home should be able to work for you.

1. Second in some instances where the individual is confined to a wheelchair we would follow the national ADA guidelines put forth by the U.S. Government. Universal design adopts a lot of the ADA specifications, but since not 100% are adhered to its not considered ADA compliant.

The whole point of aging in place is for our Kupuna to maintain their life as they have known it for so many years, to remain independent and not having to feel like a burden on family, and if we add in and ADU that’s built with the universal design, then they have the option to bring family closer, or rent out their house for an increased monthly income. Whatever the choice made, Aging in place is a positive option emotionally and financially.

At Wave Builders we see this firsthand with a lot of our Families going through these same decisions, which is why we take on each project we do as if it were our own family we were doing it for. If your thinking about this for your Ohana give us a call and we would love to sit down and talk about your situation and find the right solution for you!